Resonant L2MV and L3MV Auger transitions in titanium dioxide

Abstract

The ratio of the two components of the L23M23V Auger transition is currently used to determine the stoichiometry of titanium oxides. The reduction of Ti manifests itself by a relative increase (decrease) in intensity of the Auger component lying at high (low) kinetic energy, which is assigned to an intraatomic (interatomic) transition involving Ti3d (O 2p) valence electrons. The LMV Auger transition is herein revisited via its resonant behaviour at the Ti L23 absorption edge in TiO2. Resonances of the high energy component occurs exclusively at the L2 edge, while resonances of the other component are seen at the L3 edge, but also at the L2 edge. The latter being attributed to a L2L3V Coster–Kronig transition, the low- and high-lying LMV are identified as L3MV (including those following CK) and L2MV transitions, respectively, at variance with the previous assignment.